TVA Employees Recognized For Tech Contributions

March 12, 2015

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Several Tennessee Valley Authority engineers and researchers have been named by the Electric Power Research Institute as 2014 Technology Transfer Award recipients.

“These awards fit with our mission of service,” said Joe Hoagland, vice president for TVA Stakeholder Relations. “At TVA, we continue to look at innovative ways to improve our operations, and these awards are about championing important technologies that solve critical industry issues.

“These employees are commended for driving progress and providing benefits not only to TVA, but to the whole industry.”

EPRI, with offices in several U.S. locations including Knoxville, is an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts research, development and demonstration projects relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. For more information, see http://www.epri.com.

These awards are given annually to EPRI members who have led technology transfer efforts on behalf of their companies and the industry at large.

This year’s TVA winners are:

Ed Stephens and Karen Utt were recognized for their energy-economy modeling and development of the United States Regional Economy, Greenhouse Gas and Energy Model (US-REGEN) – an analytical model used to evaluate and provide insights on the possible impacts of proposed environmental regulations, potential future climate/clean energy legislation, potential expansion of renewable energy, and load growth on the United States electric power sector.

Fred Carder was recognized for a case study on the systematic approach to lower-load operation. He led a multi-phase EPRI case study at TVA’s Cumberland Fossil Plant Unit 1. The results of the case study, which monitored performance of the boiler, turbine, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems and water chemistry, will allow TVA to increase the turndown (lower-load operation) potential of its plants while maintaining compliance with their environmental operating permits.

Mark Bowman, Richard Brehm, Robert L. Davis, David Murray and Benny Westmoreland were recognized for collaborating with EPRI in the development and field testing of a technology for detecting open-phase conditions in large transformers, which can result in equipment damage if not identified and addressed. TVA hosted a successful demonstration of the technology at Bellefonte Nuclear Plant site. TVA intentionally open-circuited a high-voltage transmission line (161 kilovolt) and, as predicted, the system detected the open-phase condition. Several nuclear plants are planning to install the new technology at their plants.

Stephen Mueller was recognized for his work partnering with the Southeast Atmosphere Study Air Quality Campaign. As a result of his leadership, this work will improve the knowledge of the drivers and impacts of air quality, thus providing important benefits to both emissions research and the public at large.

Other EPRI recognition

Keith Taylor, TVA nuclear’s senior program manager of Alliance Turbine Services and Maintenance & Modifications, was also recognized for serving as the utility chairman of EPRI’s Generation Sector Turbine Generator User’s Group (TGUG) since January 2013. The TGUG meets twice a year to discuss and resolve common concerns affecting the safety, equipment reliability, outage improvement and power production in relation to turbine generators, associated systems and sub-components.

Taylor served as the secretary of TGUG prior to being elected by his peers to serve as chair. Beginning in February 2015, he will serve as TVA’s program advisor to EPRI’s Steam Turbines-Generators and Auxiliary Systems Research Program.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.